


Parent-Teacher Interviews

by artsyAquarius



Series: Paper Lanterns Universe [8]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, Humanstuck, Paper Lanterns, Parent-Teacher Interview, Schoolstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsyAquarius/pseuds/artsyAquarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The parents attend PTIs for their children. The teachers are given a run for their money.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Karkat Vantas

Ms Paint was doodling on a scrap of paper when her first appointment of the night walked in: Christopher Vantas. Her boyfriend had told her quite a lot about him, but she didn’t know what she should believe, and what were probably just friendly insults on his part.  
“Oh! Mr Vantas, come right in!” she said, shifting her posture so she was sitting up straight, instead of crouching over her desk. The man looked very much like Karkat, except, obviously, quite a bit taller. He also didn’t have that permanently grouchy look on his face that his son always wore.  
“Hello, Ms Paint. How are you today?” he asked, smiling warmly. He was actually quite handsome….  
“Oh, I’m fine.” The teacher said with a wave of her hand. “But we’re not here to talk about me. We’re talking about Karkat!” she gives him what she hopes is a polite, cheerful smile.  
Mr Vantas raised an eyebrow in an amused-but-resigned expression. “Right. Look, if he’s been causing some trouble, I can understand that. But you have to know that things aren’t exactly-”  
“No, no, he’s been no trouble at all! He’s a very good student and he shows a lot of potential! People really just seem to cling to him, especially that Makara boy.” She smiles fondly as she thought about her favourite student. Though his art skills needed some major improvements, she found his demeanour very charming.  
As soon as she said the name ‘Makara’, Mr Vantas’s gaze hardened for a second. But then he smiled. “That’s great to know, if a little surprising. But…are you sure there’s nothing you need to tell me? Nothing…that we need to work on?” he knew she was holding something back. She wasn’t sure how, but he knew. But this was the boy’s father; he’d know all about his behaviours.  
“Well….he does have a tendency to swear, quite a bit…but I let him know that’s not how we do things here!” she said in a rush. She didn’t want him thinking she was soft, or worse, a push-over. “He seems pretty guarded, too…I know it’s probably none of my business, but he withdraws from everyone a lot, and he doesn’t like to speak out when he’s struggling.” She looked down. She always hated this part of the interviews. Talking negatively about her students wasn’t what she enjoyed about her job at all. And she definitely didn’t want to offend any of the parents.  
But Mr Vantas just nodded like he understood. “I don’t know if you know this, but…Karkat’s mother…my wife…passed away some time ago. Our living situation right now is pretty complicated. But I really appreciate that you worry about him; I really do. I hope you’ll continue to support him. At home, we all worry about him a lot more than he knows.”  
Ms Paint felt her heart twinge. He’d lost his mother? That definitely accounts for his prickly attitude. “Of course. Like I said, he shows a lot of potential and I’m certain he’ll do great in life!”  
Mr Vantas smirks at her. “You’re Jack Noir’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”  
The question caught the teacher off guard, but she soon retained her cheerful expression. “Yes, I am! I guess Karkat told you?”  
He nodded. “Yeah, he told me his uncle came to class. I just want you to know, I don’t want you to make any exceptions for Karkat.”  
“I promise you I don’t do that! I mean, Slick adores him, and he’s a pleasure to have in class, but I’m not treating him specially!” Maybe she shouldn’t have called him by his nickname, but she was used to it and it didn’t seem to matter to Mr Vantas.  
“Thank you very much, Ms Paint. I’ll see you again at the end of the year.”


	2. Aradia Megido

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannah Megido is not quite as willing to talk about her daughter's wellbeing.

Mrs White waited patiently at her desk. Her booked appointment with Miss Megido was running very late. She sighed, shuffled some papers and checked the clock on the wall again.   
“Hello, Mrs White.” The woman in question sounded quite rushed and impatient as she took a seat. “Let’s make this quick, shall we? I have some business to attend to.” The teacher didn’t mention that she was the one running late. She simply blinked calmly and looked at her notes.   
“I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know Aradia is settling in quite well. She is very intelligent and scores very well in all her tests. She’s quite outstanding in history and English.”   
Miss Megido rolled her dark eyes and sighed. “Yes, I know she’s intelligent. Is there anything important you need to tell me? If not, can we skip the flattery and finish up?” Mrs White was quite taken aback. She said ‘flattery’ as if she was responsible for her daughter’s good grades.   
“Well,” the teacher said without missing a beat. “I have noticed she tends to draw some…disturbing images in her textbooks. Nothing too alarming; just skeletons and organs, mostly.”   
Miss Megido didn’t look impressed. “I don’t see a problem with that.”  
“I don’t either, but it seems to be the only way she’s comfortable expressing herself. She doesn’t show any signs of anger of frustration, or even happiness. She’s very emotionally guarded.” The parent didn’t say anything; she clenched her jaw and looked up at the ceiling. “I suspect she might feel like she can’t express herself vocally. It’s none of my business, really, but maybe there’s something going on at home? Something she doesn’t feel comfortable talking about?”   
Miss Megido turned her cold gaze on the teacher. “You’re right. It is none of your business. What goes in in our home is private. If you want to blame everything on me, then I’ll be leaving now.”   
As she stood up to leave, so did the teacher. “I’m merely suggesting that you offer her some form of relief. Maybe talk to her about it? If she keeps these things bottled up, it will affect her mental health and will come out in destructive forms.” Mrs White explained hastily, trying to make her reasoning be heard. She cared about each of her students, and she knew occurrences from home can come out in the student’s academic performances.   
“Good bye, Mrs White.” Miss Megido said in a clipped tone. She sped out of the room, high-heels clacking on the linoleum.   
The teacher frowned, alone at her desk once again. If this was the way her mother dealt with issues, Aradia was sure to have problems in the future. There were some other things she wanted to discuss, like how well Aradia got along with Kanaya Maryam and Feferi Peixes. It was probably just as well she left early; Mrs White had heard that Miss Megido and Feferi’s mother didn’t get along well. Oh, well. At least there was one interview out of the way.


	3. Tavros Nitram

Mr Black had been sitting at his desk for quite some time. His appointment wasn’t late, but it was better to be early and prepared than running behind schedule. The door swung open and Simon Nitram, with his gaudily dyed hair and rebellious ripped jeans, strode in. Mr Black tried to hide his distaste at his apparel.   
“Mr Nitram, take a seat.” He ordered, though the man had already begun to do so.   
Mr Nitram smiled politely, leaning back in his chair. “So, how’s Tavros been doing?”   
Mr Black sighed internally. Most of the parents of this school’s students regarded their children’s education a little more seriously. “Well, I’m sure you know that Tavros’s disability has caused for some difficulties with his education.” The teacher said without blinking an eye. He didn’t sugar-coat things.   
Mr Nitram’s eyes narrowed, and his demeanour hardened slightly. “I don’t see how it would affect his education.” Before Mr Black could interject, he continued. “His disability is only physical. I understand he might have trouble getting around, but he’s not stupid. Just because he has a wheelchair doesn’t mean he can’t learn as quickly as anyone else.”   
It was clear Mr Black had struck a nerve. He swallowed and took a deep breath. “I didn’t say he couldn’t. I just meant that-”  
“No, no, I’m sure you didn’t.” Mr Nitram interrupted, a touch of impatience in his voice. “But Tavros’s disability has nothing to do with his academics. If he’s having trouble learning, he’s having trouble learning. I’d understand that. I’ll help him; I’ll get him a damn tutor if he needs it! But don’t pin it on his disability, ok?”   
Mr Black blinked slowly. He wasn’t used to parents getting upset like that, but he wouldn’t give Mr Nitram the pleasure of reacting. “I don’t think he needs a tutor just yet. He’s not failing any classes…but he’s not excelling at them either.”   
Mr Nitram smirked and tilted his head. “Maybe you’re just not teaching him right.”   
The teacher clenched his jaw. “You know very well that this is a very prestigious school. We wouldn’t have gotten so far if we weren’t teaching our students ‘right’.” Mr Black was surprised the Nitrams had enough money to attend this school at all. The least they could do was respect it.   
Mr Nitram stood up suddenly. “I think we both know the only reason you let Tavros in this school was to rack up a few diversity points. If you aren’t teaching my son in a way that best benefits him, I’ll have to problem pulling him out and sending him elsewhere.” With that, he strode out the door.   
Mr Black went back to organising his desk and waited for his next appointment. Perhaps the school would be better off without parents like him. It could earn them a bad reputation. Anyone would got in should consider themselves very lucky. Tavros would probably be better off at a public school, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sassy human!Summoner, folks. Simon is very protective of his son.

**Author's Note:**

> I really, really wanted to do this (I'm sorry). I'm going to do all the other kids and trolls eventually.


End file.
